Moments in History
by taylorswiftrox
Summary: There have been a lot of them, as we all know, but how did the gang live through them? How did they turn tragic situations in great ones? How did they celebrate each new moment in history? ON HIATUS.


**A/N: This idea sprung upon me about a month ago with the question of what the characters of That '70s Show would think of during important moments in history, how they would react, and what the impact of that event would be on each person, which is how I ended up here. I'll be posting future chapters sporadically and they could range from the events of the first man on the moon to the bad economy of today, we'll just see where it takes us.**

**TO ALL READER'S OF MY THAT '80S BEGINNG AND OUR LIFE STORYS AND ALL OF MY READERS: This chapter contains some spoilers about Jackie/Hyde's and Donna/Eric's kids. The reason why they are in this story is because I try to make my stories what I think happened with their lives, so why not make this part of their lives? It's not big now, but in future stories I will formally introduce them to you, what they're like, and when they are born. Also understand that these characters may be changed. Just enjoy them now.**

Chapter Event: 9/11 Attacks

Main Chapter Coupling: Eric/Donna

_Point Place, Wisconsin_

_September 11th, 2001_

_8:30 AM_

_Location: Jackie and Hyde's Kitchen_

"Mommy."

"Yes, Sophie?" Jackie, who had promised herself someone else would be doing this, started whisking eggs for breakfast.

Sophie, Jackie's 11 year old daughter, rolled her eyes as she walked into the room, magazine in hand. "I didn't say anything, it must be Cassidy."

"Mommy," the voice came again.

Sophie stopped in her tracks and dropped her magazine, landing inside-up, bearing a picture of the Backstreet Boys. "Whoa. What's that?"

"What's what?" Jackie turned around and dropped the whisk she had in hand. "What's that?"

Sophie rolled her eyes again, a skill she had mastered with two older, teenage siblings, and walked toward the table and her little sister who sat in a high chair. "Is that a plane?"

"Boom!" Cassidy squealed as a second plane hit into a building. She threw her hands up in the air and smiled brightly, like she had invented the word.

Jackie managed a smile, flattened out Sophie's hair, and then suddenly it hit her. Her hand moved to her mouth as a gasp escaped. "That's the Trade Center… Donna."

Sophie put her hands on her hips. "What about Aunt Donna? What!"

"In New York."

"Mom, you're not helping."

Jackie shook her head and started for the door. "Get Cassidy for me, sweetheart."

Sophie sighed and reached for the straps on her sister's high chair. "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me." Jackie grabbed the doorknob and began a sprint through the back of the houses.

"I'm really confused right now," Sophie shouted as she walked behind her mom, keeping a firm hold on her sister. They were half way to Eric and Donna's house (which, coincidentally, was right next door), when a frantic Eric ran through the gate.

"…Jackie," he tried to get out. "The TV… Donna."

"Eric," Jackie tried to talk soothingly. "She wouldn't be anywhere near the Towers. It's a journalism gig, not managing a financial deal, and she's not even on a plane, at this point. She'll be fine."

"Dad!" Luke, Eric and Donna's fifteen year old son, came running into the yard. "Did you see the news?"

Sophie set Cassidy on the ground and took hold of her hand. "Can someone please just tell me what's going on?"

Eric bent down a bit so he was at eye level with Sophie. "Two hijacked planes have flown into two buildings with thousands of people in them in New York City. Understand now?"

Sophie backed up a little. "I'm not a baby; you don't need to talk to me like one.

Much to everyone's humor, Cassidy looked up at her older sister with a frown like she knew she was being made fun of.

"Sheesh, Jackie, she's turning out to be just like you," Eric pointed out.

"Hey!" Jackie and Sophie said simultaneously.

"As I was saying," Luke continued, turning toward his dad. "Another plane was hit into the Pentagon." Luke turned to Sophie. "And that's the headquarters for the military, in case you didn't know."

"I did know that," Sophie fought back.

Jackie sighed. "Can you all go inside, please? So we can talk?"

Without a word back, the three kids retreated inside to Jackie and Hyde's house. It was something of a safe haven, at that point.

"So… Donna?" Jackie whispered, practically to the air. Suddenly, she did something she never thought she'd do, something nobody thought she'd do. There, in the middle of their backyards, Jackie folded Eric into a hug. He needed it, the whole country needed it. All of their family members could be dead and nobody would be able to know. Now, the only thing they could do was hope.

_**~~~ . . . ~~~**_

_"Do you know where your children are?"_

The basement of Red and Kitty Forman's basement was far from a Norman Rockwell painting that night. In his chair, Hyde held his oldest daughters, Sophie and her 14 year old sister Katie, on his lap. They were, by now, far too old to be doing so, but it was comforting to Hyde to have them near him. Jackie sat on the floor near him with Katie's twin brother Leo, the "tough guy" not caring that his mom had both of her arms wrapped around him. Fez sat in the lawn chair. Kelso sat with Brooke and Betsy on the ancient couch, holding each other close. Red stood with Kitty in the background, holding a sleeping Cassidy in his arms.

And then there was Eric. He was leaned up against the wooden coffee table, head in his hands. His daughters, Charlotte aged 20 and Gracie aged 12, tried to get a response out of him as Luke watched awestruck at the footage of the earlier hours playing on the screen. It was all too surreal, over 3,000 were reported dead or missing. It wasn't supposed to be that way; nothing was supposed to be that way.

As the 10 o'clock news began to play, President Bush's words from his earlier address to the nation played back. "Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts."

Kitty leaned over to Red. "You're not going to say something?"

Red looked at her with a frown. "No, he's handling it perfectly."

"Early this evening," the newscaster started, "members of Congress joined together outside the Capitol to sing _God Bless America_."

Red shook his head. "Now that's just a load of—"

Jackie turned her head, something she'd been doing ever since the twins were born, to keep Red from cursing.

"Still," he sighed. "It takes a terrorist attack to bring them together, but when the country needs them any other time they can't even get out of their offices to give a—"

"I'm going outside," Eric announced, cutting off his father. He stood up and was about to open the door when Hyde's voice broke through.

"I'll go with you," Hyde told him.

"I'm fine," Eric contradicted. Just as Eric was halfway up the stairs, he found Kitty's hand on his shoulder. "Mom, can you—"

"Donna's got a smart head on her shoulders, Eric." That was all Kitty needed to say, even though Eric wasn't paying much attention.

At moments like these, when he was feeling worried, as a teen, Eric would go lay on the Vista Cruiser and try to work out his problems. Miraculously, Donna would appear and make everything better, bringing words of wisdom and a kiss or two… or three. Today, nearly 20 years later, he still liked to do the same. But since he had walked over to his parents' house from his a few doors down, he decided just to lie there, right in the middle of the driveway.

Yeah, he had reached that point.

It was funny how things changed. One moment everything was normal and the next you were scared to death to even move, like you'd been one of the innocent people that had that day. It was funny how, in a blink of an eye, two best friends could go from wrestling on the basement of a couch to being 40 and married with three kids. It was funny how even your best friends who were, by now, more like siblings couldn't even make you feel better when your wife could be in danger.

_"Eric!"_

It was funny how things just worked out.

Her voice rang through his ears like no other could. At first, Eric was unsure. He sat up and looked down the driveway. At the dark street in front of him, at the flickering light on the house, at the five foot ten woman running towards him. It was one of those moments that would have made the best ending to a romantic movie where two lovers were separated for years and finally would meet in a random encounter in the city streets. Except now no music that sent shivers up your spine was playing, only the rhythm of this perfect pair filled the air.

Eric ran to Donna, just like he did on a California beach so many years ago. This time, though, they were reuniting under different circumstances. "Donna!" Eric yelled, pulling her into a hug and off the ground "I thought… I—"

"It's okay," Donna told him with a kiss. "I'm here."

"But I thought you were in New York… I thought you were…" his voice trailed off once more.

Donna laughed, as if it should be obvious. "I was in Milwaukee before it happened, I just couldn't find a bus that was willing to drive here."

Eric smirked. "Those little bastards."

"Uh, huh," Donna looped her arms into Eric's and behind his back. "So you were worried about me?"

"Worried? Donna, I was ready to run to New York if that was what it took to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah, right. You could barely run a mile in 7th grade gym."

"Really cute, guys."

Eric and Donna looked up to find everyone standing in the back of the driveway, watching them."

"Kelso!" they screamed together.

Everyone, their friends, Eric's parents, their nieces, nephews, and kids smiled. It lifted the mood of such a tumultuous day.

"Now, if I remember correctly, this is about the time we'd all hug," Fez said.

And with that, they all joined in, even Red, for a hug. They crowded in on Eric and Donna, laughed, yelped, forgot all their worries. They were together again and that was all they could hope for. At least one family would be complete that day; at least one family could turn the worst day in US history to a laughing fest. This was one moment in history that didn't have to be painful.


End file.
